Newsarama Exclusive Preview: Pilot Season: 7 Days From Hell #1

And with Pilot Season: 7 Days From Hell #1 hitting stores next week, Pilot Season 2010 is a wrap!

With five heavy contenders, who will you choose? Which one is worthy of its own series? It's all up to you guys! Our fantastic readers! The polls will open up November 1st.

But in the mean time, check out this exclusive preview of Pilot Season: 7 Days From Hell #1 by Bryan Edward Hill, Rob Levin and Phil Noto.

See the full preview here.
Source: Newsarama

Newsarama's Writer's Workshop: Bryan Edward Hill & Rob Levin Double Header

Ready for a Writer's Workshop double-header?

Because Bryan Edward Hill and Rob Levin are living proof that two heads can be better than one, as they've been juggling mythology and international intrigue with their Top Cow book Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box, the latest issue having been released this week.

Yet how does this dynamic duo work their magic? We sat down with Hill and Levin to discuss how they navigate characterization, plotting and the sheer challenge of filling in the blank page.

Newsarama: Guys, first and foremost, can you tell us a little bit about how each of you got into the world of writing? What made you guys decide that writing was the career for you?

Bryan Edward Hill: For me, it was very personal. My father died when I was a kid and that same week I read an issue of BATMAN. Obviously, I had a profound connection with Bruce Wayne. His anger. His loss. How he as a character turned that energy into something empowering.

I was given so much from those stories. Fiction can heal in a way nothing else can. When I started thinking about a career, I realized that I wanted to be part of that tradition. There’s a beautiful democracy in writing. It’s a blank piece of paper and a pen. In Hemingway’s hands that’s THE SUN ALSO RISES. In Frank Miller's hands that’s SIN CITY. In Brian Azzarello’s hands that’s 100 BULLETS. Once you start walking into that legacy, it’s very hard to not get passionate and obsessed.

That being said, if Great Britain would have given me citizenship I probably would have just joined MI6, drank martinis and caught mega villains for Her Majesty.

Rob Levin: I think there's some old writer cliche about "you're a writer because you don't know how to be anything else." While admitting that makes me feel somewhat useless, there's some truth to it. I've always been drawn to stories. When you connect with a fictional experience and it feels like something that's made about or for you, there are few experiences that special or that resonant.

A lot of my writing, though escapist, is really about trying to create that experience for the reader. I'm trying to forge a connection, and that's the reason I write. As for what got me there... I can't trace it to any one moment or experience. But when in doubt I always blame "Ghostbusters."

Read the full interview here.
Source: Newsarama

CBR: Pandora's Box Opens on the Road to Artifacts

Every Artifact within the Top Cow Universe is shrouded in some degree of mystery, but few Artifacts are quite as enigmatic as Pandora's Box.

Currently at the center of its very own miniseries, Pandora's Box is one of the thirteen deadly Artifacts lurking about in the Top Cow Universe, joining the ranks of the Witchblade, the Darkness, the Angelus, the Rapture, the Spear of Destiny, the Glacier Stone, the Ember Stone and the Blood Sword. Although the Artifact itself remains shrouded in mystery, the very provocative name of Pandora's Box is a good indicator that this item holds great destructive potential - potential that could be realized within the pages of "Artifacts," the upcoming 13-issue series written by Ron Marz and illustrated by a team of artists including Michael Broussard. CBR News spoke with Marz and Top Cow publisher Filip Sablik to learn more about Pandora's Box, its ties to the Glacier and Ember Stones, and its overall role in the world of the Artifacts.

According to Marz and Sablik, Pandora's Box itself has ties to the famous legend of its namesake, if only symbolically.

Read the full article here.
Source: CBR

Multiversity Comics Reviews Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box #2

So as I’ve stated, the story as told by Rob Levin and Bryan Edward Hill is easy to access and intriguing. What I haven’t yet covered is the art. Alessandro Vitti provides some nice looking work that really flies in the face of my preconceived notion of Top Cow’s art. I know this is something we discussed on the site and with Top Cow in interviews but as they say the proof is in the pudding and this is some tasty pudding. Not to say that the art on Witchblade is bad art by any means but it wouldn’t work as well here and it’s nice to see the diversity that I’ve heard about over the course of the last year or so for my very own eyes.

Read the full review here.
Source: multiversitycomics.com

Comic Attack Reviews Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box #2

Rob and Bryan are developing Finn and Glori quite well, and though they are not well known characters and don’t have the status of say Darkness or Witchblade, there is no doubt in my mind that after all of this is said and done they will have moved up a few notches. I’d suggest checking this out not only to get yourself acquainted with the characters before Artifacts starts this summer, but just because the story itself is worth it alone.

Read the full review here.
Source: comicattack.net

The Comic Addiction Reviews Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box #2

Alesandro Vitti (with Secret Warriors claim-to-fame) returns to provide some stunning artwork. His pencils and inks really bring the characters of Glori and Finn to life, and Sunny Gho’s colors felt perfect for the story. The issue is extremely fast-paced but it’s easy to follow and flows very naturally. Reading the book is like sitting down and watching a Tomb Raider movie.
In the coming issues, I really look forward to the character development of both Glori and Finn. These characters are both very young and new to the Top Cow universe and provide a refreshing break from the Trinity (Darkness, Angelus and Witchblade). I really look forward to the inevitable showdown between Glorianna and Michael.

Read the full review here.
Source: thecomicaddiction.com

Broken Frontier Reviews Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box #2

This issue features a lot of grand action and was overall a visual treat. Artist Alessandro Vitti really stepped it up. His depiction of Finn and Silver’s powers is much more dynamic than it was in the first issue. The radiating energy and scorching fires seem much realer and really pop off the page. His figures and layouts are also very dramatic and interesting, even during dialogues. I especially appreciated his treatment of the early sequence where Silver and Finn speak. As the scene takes place in Japan, the blowing grass and dueling atmosphere of the field they’re in is a great touch. Both the backgrounds and the people throughout this issue had a very organic quality which helped make the story more engaging.

Read the full review here.
Source: brokenfrontier.com

Comic Box Reviews Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box #2

[FRENCH] A la recherche de la boite de Pandore, les deux porteurs de talismans les plus récents de l’univers Top Cow sont obligés de se confronter l’un à l’autre, chassant que leurs natures sont forcément antagonistes. C’est l’occasion de creuser plus en profondeur ces personnalités relativement vierges…

If you know french or just want to pretend you do, read the full reveiw here.

Source: comicbox.com

Graphic Policy Reviews Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box #2

The series sees two individuals searching for a man named Elias who wants Padora’s Box to bring about Armageddon. The two are enemies, forced to deal with each other to face a bigger enemy. It’s pretty straight forward. The story by Rob Levin and Bryan Edward Hill is entertaining and has a world globe trotting feel to it. The action scenes are decent enough and banter fun. The art by Alessandro Vitti is a pleasure to look at.

Read the full review here.

Source: graphicpolicy.com

Project Fanboy Reviews Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box #2

Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box is a big summer action movie in comic book form. It's got explosions and gunfire, conspiracy, cults and a great cast of characters. The writers do a great job with pacing; the comic reads quickly and with a lot of energy. I also thought the writers did a great job with the dialogue. When the characters talk they not only reveal personality traits and their strengths and weaknesses but the dialogue also conveys a tone and a worldview. The writers speak through there characters giving the comic a tone that is serious but not mired in darkness.

Read the full review here

Source: forums.projectfanboy.com

Playback:STL Previews Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box #2. Out This Week!

A Cold War Heats Up!
Finn and Glori, the bearers of the Glacier and Ember Stones, have discovered that a mysterious cult is after Pandora’s Box, one of the 13 Artifacts. Will they be able to not kill each other long enough to prevent the Disciples of Eden from destroying the world? Or will they revert to their destined roles?

Read the fulle article here

Source: playbackstl.com

What The Con: CBR's Top Cow C2E2 Panel Coverage

At this weekend's Chicago Comics & Entertainment Expo, Top Cow fans were treated to a panel filled with some of the company's most prominent creators including Phil Hester ("The Darkness"), Bryan Edward Hill ("Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box"), Nelson Blake II ("Magdalena") and Ron Marz ("Witchblade," "Angelus"). Top Cow Publisher Filip Sablik moderated the panel and covered a wide range of topics, starting with the company's major summer event - "Artifacts."

Launching in July and set to play out over the course of a year, "Artifacts" is written by Ron Marz and illustrated by a rotating lineup of artists beginning with Michael Broussard for the first four issues. The remaining artists are currently unannounced, though Sablik said the final issue's artist would raise several eyebrows. Three different covers for the first issue were displayed - a Dale Keown cover depicting a distraught Sara Pezzini restrained by Jackie Estacado was described as the story-oriented cover, while John Tyler Christopher's cover profiling Sara was revealed as the first of thirteen Artifact bearer-centric covers.

The cover that received the most attention was a jam piece illustrated by several different Top Cow artists. Marz and Blake identified each artist's contribution as follows: Michael Broussard drew Tom Judge and Jackie Estacado, Sheldon Mitchell drew Sabine and Alina Enstrom, Kenneth Rocafort drew Michael "Finn" Finnegan and Glorianna "Glori" Silver, Marc Silvestri drew Danielle Baptiste, Stjepan Sejic drew Sara Pezzini, and Blake himself drew Necromancer and Magdalena. The panelists were quick to point to three mysterious emblems on the cover pertaining to the three Artifacts whose bearers have yet to be revealed.

Read the full coverage here.

Source: CBR

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Graze Anatomy: Nelson Blake II Sketches & Bryan Edward Hill Writes

Our man Nelson Blake II is doing what he always does, draw and inspire. Recently his deviant art sketch has inspired writer Edward Hill on a short story you can read here.
You can also visit Nelson's deviant art here.

Source: The Bryan Hill Project

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What The Con: C2E2 Signing Times & Panels

Heading to C2E2 this weekend, herders? Be sure to stop by the Top Cow booth #551. Grab some free swag. Get your hands on Magdalena #1 before anyone else does. Say hey to your favorite creators. Give @TopCow (Filip) a high five. And offer @chrissypedia (Christine) a jello snack pack!

But of course, the real reason you stopped on by:

Friday
1:30 - 2:30pm: Eric Basaldua
2:30 - 3:30pm: Bryan Edward Hill & Alessandro Vitti
3:30 - 4:30pm: Phil Hester & Ryan Winn
4:30 - 5:30pm: Ron Marz & Nelson Blake II
5:30 - 6:30pm: Joshua Hale Fialkov


Saturday
10:30 - 11:30am: Joshua Hale Fialkov & Jeremy Haun
11:30 - 1:00pm: Ron Marz, Nelson Blake II & Troy Peteri
1:00 - 2:30pm: Phil Hester (1:30p) & Ryan Winn
2:30 - 4:00pm: Bryan Edward Hill & Alessandro Vitti
4:30 - 6:00pm: Eric Basaldua


Sunday
10:30 - 11:30am: Joshua Hale Fialkov & Jeremy Haun
11:30 - 12:30pm: Ron Marz & Nelson Blake II
12:30 - 1:30pm: Bryan Edward Hill & Alessandro Vitti
1:30 - 2:30pm: Phil Hester & Ryan Winn


AND DON'T FORGET TO STOP BY OUR PANEL!

Saturday, April 17: 7:15p - 8:15p in E450:
Join Sablik as the publisher launches Magdalena #1 with Marz and Blake II. Special guest, Chicago Bears linebacker Lance Briggs will also stop by to discuss his love of Top Cow’s comics including his favorite character, The Darkness. Additional guests of the panel include Hester, Basaldua, Hill and more as they share with fans what’s coming from Top Cow in 2010, including exclusive early looks, exciting announcements, and special gifts for every panel attendee.

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Battlemouth Reviews Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box #1

Following in the footprints of countless publishers before them, Artifacts promises to be Top Cow’s most ambitious undertaking to date and will weave together story lines from a number of Top Cow titles, including Witchblade, The Darkness, Angelus and Broken Trinity: Pandora’s Box. It has been known that thirteen mystical Artifacts guide the fate of the Top Cow Universe. For years, it’s been said that the meeting of all 13 artifacts would bring upon mankind’s destruction. The series will begin with a mysterious figure who seeks to put Armageddon into motion.

The Artifacts journey begins now, with Broken Trinity: Pandora’s Box #1. In Top Cow’s most recent book, Rob Levin and Bryan Edward Hill, seek to set our journey underway.

In this first issue, we are introduced to Glorianna Silver, wielder of the ember stone, one of the 13 artifacts. As well as Michael Finnegan, small time criminal and new wielder of the Glacier stone, another of the 13 artifacts. The two are prophesied to fight each other, but in the process threaten to upset the delicate balance of the Trinity. The Trinity, of course, is The Angelus, The Darkness, and The Witchblade.

Read the full review here.

Source: Battlemouth

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Escape from Tomorrow Reviews Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box #1

Over the past 18 months or so I've been drawn, by quality stories, writing and artwork, into picking-up pretty much every book in the Top Cow universe - that said, aside from reading an odd issue here and there in the past I'm not really familiar with Broken Trinity. Twenty-five or so pages later - I'm hooked!

If I wasn't already drawn-in by the advance publicity for the mini-series, and credit to Top Cow by the way for getting material - preview pages, interviews, teasers - out to the fans ahead of publication, then Tommy Lee Edwards magnificent cover pulled me in immediately with it's mix of adventure, danger and the mysterious.

I really enjoy tales that exist in that space between outlandish fantasy and historical fact - and for me this first issue occupies very much occupies that space ...

Read the full review here.

Source: Escape From Tomorrow

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Best Shots Reviews Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box

Broken Trinity: Pandora’s Box #1
Written by Rob Levin & Bryan Edward Hill
Art by Allessandro Vitti
Colors by Sunny Gho
Published by Top Cow Productions & Image Comics
Review by Kevin Huxford

My only previous experience with Broken Trinity directly involved the Darkness and Witchblade. So I was a bit surprised after picking this up to find them completely absent. Not necessarily a bad thing, just not what I had expected. It clearly puts me into the new reader camp when it comes to the properties being used here.

Through the use of the opening re-cap page and an efficient use of exposition, the writers do a really good job of bringing the uninitiated up to speed. There are two opposing forces that have been around for millennia have recently found new people to carry their artifacts and powers. For some reason, they are compelled to find the rest of the thirteen related artifacts scattered across the globe and tear each others’ heads off.

They do such a good job of laying things out that I honestly thought this might have been the first appearance of the characters. It wasn’t until preparing to write this review where I decided to verify what characters pre-dated this issue that I found out most of the players have been around for at least a year. Other than a few minor quibbles, this had as much info as might be required to start a movie with a similar subject matter.

While they did a really good job of introducing us to Michael Finnegan and the Disciples of Adam, better establishing the Glorianna Silver character would have really made the book virtually flawless in its new-reader-friendliness. While it is obvious they tried and I’m sure all her interactions with her mentor ring true to the character, I suspect they seem to be much more effective than they actually are when viewed through the eyes of someone already familiar with the property. When she tells Wulgar that she won’t be felled like the dragon, there aren’t enough contextual or visual clues to tell us whether she’s saying that defiantly or more sheepishly. It makes it hard to get a proper read on the character or really care about her, if you’re coming relatively fresh to this first issue. For those already a bit familiar with the character, I’d imagine it all works smoothly and avoids going so far in trying to coach new readers as to turn off established ones.

The story is setting up two mystically-powered, diametrically opposed beings in a conflict where they share a common enemy. The “two enemies somewhat united by a shared enemy”angle isn’t new. Neither is a global scavenger hunt, which seems to be where this is leading. But it is the execution here that makes the difference. That includes the art. Vitti’s art (with Gho’s coloring) reminds me, in places, of Leinil Yu’s work on Ultimate Wolverine Vs. Hulk. At the same time, you can see some work that is more like traditional Top Cow art styles. Both are pleasing to the eye in the book and, while somewhat different, really don’t clash along the way.

The highest praise I can give a book that isn’t part of or related to my regular purchases is that I will seek out the next issue. Guess what #2 I’ll be looking for in a month or so?

Source: Newsarama

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ComicBook.com Reviews Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box

Top Cow is releasing an ambitious project over the next few months, one that will certainly be a staple of their summer lineup, and it all started with the recently released Broken Trinity: Pandora’s Box #1, a project that continues the Broken Trinity work from before with the promise of globetrotting adventure and the feel of an Indiana Jones story, as a search for precious artifacts, beginning with the eponymous Pandora’s Box, begins here. For fans and readers of the Broken Trinity series, this first issue will quickly pick up and reintroduce you to the world of the bearers of the Ember Stone and the Glacier Stone. New readers may find the suddenness of the issue a bit unclear, but overall the story has potential to make an impact, even though a sense of immediacy and characters doesn’t always feel developed.

Bryan Edward Hill and Rob Levin handle the writing duties here, and while they do a nice job of trying to initiate the new reader into the existing universe by offering a brief glance back at the history of Glori Silver, the bearer of the mystic Ember Stone and Michael Finn, the wielder of the Glacier Stone, there’s a definite sense of history present in the first few pages that might ring hollow for new readers; although, those familiar with the series will appreciate the quick transition into the action of the piece, where the issue does find its best glimpses of what we might be able to expect. Their eternal struggle is depicted richly by Alessandro Vitti’s drawings and Sunny Gho’s colors, which both give the feeling of a rich tapestry.

Read the full review here.

Source: ComicBook.com

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CBR: Hill & Levin Open "Pandora's Box for Inspiration

For better or worse, every comic book creator has his or her own personal well of inspiration. Whether it's a little mentioned graphic novel or the sweeping score of a movie soundtrack, each and every writer and artist looks towards something else in this world, both internally and externally, for some creative guidance.

It's certainly no different for Bryan Edward Hill and Rob Levin, the co-writers of Top Cow's currently running "Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box" miniseries, and it just so happens that both writers are willing to speak at length about the various influences that inform their work. In a CBR exclusive, Hill and Levin joined forces to discuss the works of fiction, pieces of music and other aspects of life that they find to be the most influential on their "Broken Trinity" collaboration and their creative process at large.

"Batman: The Cult"

Bryan Edward Hill: Jim Starlin, Bernie Wrightson and Bill Wray changed my mind with this mini-series. I still remember sitting in my bedroom as a kid, turning the pages and having little explosions go off in my head. "My present reality is not a pretty place... hard to think, damn hard." Just brilliant!

This mini-series is a shining example of the power of economy and the ability of words and images to create an experience unlike any other. In my opinion, I think it's as significant as "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns." This book just doesn't get enough credit.

The Films of Michael Mann

Hill: Michael Mann is inarguably my favorite filmmaker. Some people say he's style over substance, but I disagree. In his work, style is informed by substance. His work, in addition to being visceral and filled with dynamic action, has some of the best explorations of character in modern fiction. In comics, it's not just enough to have iconic imagery - that imagery has to inform the reader about character, about the themes of the work, or it's just flash. Watching how Mann visualizes his narratives, and how those narratives are largely told through imagery, is a master class in visual storytelling.

Rob and I first vibed talking about Michael Mann and David Fincher before we started working together. I love David Fincher too, but I only wanted to put one filmmaker on the list and Michael Mann's work has my heart. Too bad comic books can't come with their own soundtrack - but in the advent of digital, I'm working on that!

Read the whole article here.

Source: CBR

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Comic Attack Reviews Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box #1

Broken Trinity: Pandora’s Box has potential and will set the pace for the big event later on and right now Hill and Levin are on point with a good story! I’m curious to see how this plays out as I’m not sure that Glori knows that Finn is in possession of two Artifacts as she’s been focusing on getting that Glacier Stone from him. Other than that we’ve got religious zealots, ninja, mystical creatures and a high body count so what else could you ask for?

Read the full review here.

Source: Comic Attack

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